Go Back
–+ servings
A single bowl of Cracker Barrel chicken and dumplings with parsley

Cracker Barrel Chicken and Dumplings

Flat rolled dumplings simmered in plain chicken stock with shredded chicken, exactly the way the restaurant serves it. Seven ingredients, one pot, and a broth that thickens itself as the dumplings cook. It is even better the next day.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 6 bowls
Author Nayla
PRINT PIN REVIEW

Ingredients
 

For the Stew

  • 6 cups (1.4 liters) chicken stock preferably low-sodium or homemade
  • 1 pound (300 g) cooked chicken shredded (rotisserie or leftover roast)

For the Dumplings

  • 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp (6 g) baking powder
  • 1 tsp (6 g) salt
  • 3 tbsp (42 g) cold butter cut into small cubes
  • 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk

Equipment

  • Large pot

Instructions
 

Start the Broth and Mix the Dough

  1. Warm the stock: Pour the chicken stock into a large pot and set it over low heat while you make the dough. It does not need to boil yet.
  2. Cut in the butter: Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Add the cold cubed butter and work it in with a pastry cutter or two forks until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
  3. Add the buttermilk: Pour in the buttermilk and stir gently until a soft, shaggy dough comes together. It should not be smooth, and a few dry clumps are fine.

Roll and Cut the Dumplings

  1. Roll and cut: Flour the work surface generously and roll the dough out to about a quarter-inch thick. Cut it into squares 1 to 2 inches across with a pizza wheel or a sharp knife. They do not need to be neat.
    Rolled dough on a wooden board with one square cut out and a green cutter

Simmer the Dumplings

  1. Drop them in: Bring the stock to a gentle boil. Add the squares a few at a time, stirring after each addition so they do not clump together.
    Pale squares simmering in a steel pot beside a bowl of shredded meat
  2. Simmer 20 minutes: Lower the heat to a bare simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The squares puff slightly and the broth thickens to the consistency of gravy.
    The pot part way through simmering, with the liquid starting to turn cloudy

Add the Chicken and Serve

  1. Stir in the chicken: Add the shredded chicken and simmer 5 to 10 minutes more, until it is heated through and the broth has thickened further. Taste and adjust the salt.
    Shredded meat stirred into the thickened pot
  2. Serve: Ladle into bowls with plenty of broth and finish with coarse black pepper and chopped parsley. Serve hot.

Notes

Roll the dough to about a quarter-inch thick and cut squares 1 to 2 inches across. Do not brush the flour off before they go in the pot, because that flour is what thickens the broth.
Keep the pot at a bare simmer. A hard boil tears the squares apart and clouds the broth.
The cut squares can be refrigerated on a floured sheet pan for a day, or frozen flat and dropped in from frozen with about 4 extra minutes of simmering.
For fluffier drop dumplings, add another 1/4 cup buttermilk and spoon the dough in instead of rolling it. The broth will thicken less.
Leftovers keep 3 to 4 days. The dumplings absorb the broth overnight, so reheat gently with a splash of extra stock.
Nutrition values are an estimate.

Nutrition

Calories: 390kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 1170mg | Potassium: 435mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 325IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 112mg | Iron: 2mg
Nayla
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Let me know! Mention @kitchenetteblog or tag #kitchenetteblog